We have already discussed on other occasions the problem of current series and films in which It is often difficult to follow the dialogues and its possible causes, such as poor management of the multichannel to stereo conversion, although it may also be the fault of the content creators or configuration factors of our equipment.
The solution most recommended by manufacturers is usually that Let’s buy a team extra capable of decoding and processing the sound signal itself, such as a sound bar or AV receiver more speakers that we connect to the TV. And in fact they usually solve the problem in many cases, although not in all.
But what happens if, for whatever reason, such as a breakdown, lack of space, budget, we are in a second holiday home, etc., we cannot use these external sound systems and We depend exclusively on television?, How can we improve the reproduction of dialogues?
Improving dialogue playback on Smart TV
Modern television and home theater equipment can play with what is known as dynamic range, increasing the volume of softer sounds and diminishing that of the strongest so that everything remains within a tolerable range without us missing out on the small details.
Typically, the digital audio track itself, such as those from Dolby, contains extra information on how to perform this compression effectively, allowing the TV to know what to attenuate or reinforce and to what extent, although more and more digital sound processors are capable of adjusting these types of parameters on the fly to offer us decibel control that meets our expectations.
Each manufacturer usually calls these types of functions by a different name, such as “dynamic compression”, “night listening”, “night mode”etc., but they usually offer more or less the same thing, with differences in how they perform their task, of course. If we have problems with the dialogues, we should activate them.
Additionally, most TVs usually have several general configuration options with different preset modes, such as ‘Standard’, ‘Optimize’ or ‘Amplify’, ‘Music’, ‘Cinema’, ‘Narration’, etc. Each one will behave differently, highlighting certain frequencies and effects, so it is best to try them all until you find the one that offers the clearest sounds.
It is also worth mentioning that certain televisions also have Sound modes that enhance voice clarityFor example, LG TVs have a ‘Clear Voice’ mode, located in their ‘Sound Mode’ panel. Other manufacturers also tend to opt for this type of mode, although perhaps with a different nomenclature.
Configuration in streaming services
If you are watching a movie or TV series on a streaming service and you listen to the content through the TV’s own speakers, sometimes Switching to stereo mix in audio settings can significantly balance the level of dialogue and the other scenes.
To find this setting, simply go to the audio and subtitle options of the streaming service in question and Select the audio track that does not include the ‘5.1’that is, choosing the mix designed to be played through stereo speakers.
In my case it has been a solution in services like Netflix for some series where the stereo mix it provides is better, or at least the TV “understands it better” than the multichannel one.
Another interesting case is when we watch TV from a external DTT decoder or from our operator’s decoderIn these cases, there is usually the option of passing the digital audio track as is without decoding (usually called “activating Dolby sound” or something similar on the decoder) to the TV, or having the external device take care of making the stereo mix, which can be problematic.
Since the combinations here are almost endless because there are many brands and models of TVs and external decoders, it is best to try switching between both options to see which one sounds better. In my case, there are noticeable differences, for example when watching some Movistar Plus+ channels, but as we say, it depends on each TV model we have and whether it is capable of managing the Dolby Digital signal well on its own.
Using the TV’s equalizer
If our TV does not have advanced sound functions, it will probably have a basic equalizer that we can use. In most of them we can modify bass, mids and treble to our liking, and in the more advanced ones we will be shown the option of varying certain more specific frequency ranges.
How can we equalize so that voices are heard better? Well increasing the gain in the typical frequencies of the human voice and lowering it in the rest.
In general we can have good results if We raise the equalization in the range between 500 Hz to 2 KHz and we lowered the rest of the bandsHow much? Well, that depends on the case. A variation of 3-6 dB is already noticeable, but in other cases, larger changes will be necessary.
If we vary these frequency bands much more We will lose realism in the overall sound image, although we may need it at some specific moments where it is more important to know what they are saying than to hear the music and special effects.
Also, it is not a magic solution, because in that range there are also sounds of all kinds, such as music, special effects, etc., but at least we will subtract power in the low and high bands, so in the end voices will tend to be heard more clearly.
Cover image | José Antonio Carmona
At Xataka Smart Home | I can’t hear the dialogues in action movies well: how to solve it with these functions of your TV, sound bar or home cinema